Facades
by daphnap
Summary: The sequel to Masks. something is not quiet right with Robin. Kon has a problem, and Cassie faces the facts.
1. And So It Begins...Again

Title: Facade

Spoilers: none

Summary: the sequel to masks. Something is not quiet right with robin.

Notes: nothing, just read and review

***

Cassie's arm flew out, catching Robin in the face.  
  
He crumpled, grasping his broken nose that streamed blood.  
  
"God damn you!" She screamed and came at him, her fist pulled up for another strike.  
  
An arm reached out, grabbing her own, and the force held her back; Kon's grip was almost painful. She screamed obscenities at Robin, who lay there, his face a mess.  
  
"How could you do this to us, Robin, how could you fucking do this to us?!" She screamed, her voice sobbing. She crumpled against Kon-el who had grabbed her fist. She was crying.  
  
Robin turned his head, not answering.  
  
"How could you?" Cassie continued to scream at his retreating back, "HOW FUCKING COULD YOU?!?!?"

***

Robin was gone.

Cassie pulled her arm from Kon's grasp, rubbing her wrist painfully and glaring at him, "Why did you stop me?"

Kon stared at her, "You were about to kill him."

She shook her head, "No I wasn't,, but I was going to give him what he deserved."

"A broken nose?"

She ignored the question, settling in a chair at the newly repaired table, "You knew what he was going to do."

"But it didn't deserve that sort of reaction!"

She was silent, letting her head rest against her palms, she sighed, "Maybe you're right, maybe I reacted too harshly."

"Cass," Kon's voice had taken a concerned timbre, "What has gotten into you?" He sat in a chair next her, "Ever since-" He didn't finish, the pause lingering in the air, "Robin did what he needed to do." He placed his hand over hers, unconsciously, pulling back when Cassie glared at him, "I know you think it was wrong-"

"He gave you to the DEO Kon!" Her voice rose, "How can you *not* be angry about that?"

Kon was silent; his eyes shut briefly, "He was just making sure-"

"Making sure what? We already knew that Harm was gone, after all that Harm put you through, he knew you couldn't handle more. And Secret, after what had happened…"

"Cass, he did it to protect all of us."

"But Secret told us that he was gone, she told us-"

"She didn't even know he was with her, Cassie, yes, I'm angry, Robin was stupid, for once in his life, he did something stupid. But he's allowed to, Cassie, he's human." He sighed, "He thought he could pull it off, getting us into DEO and out, without alerting them, but for once…" he paused, his eyes scrunched, "For once all his connections weren't worth a damn."

"But the DEO?" Cassie shouted, irate.

"Cassie, you know as well as I do that the DEO is the only place that has the equipment needed to detect people like Harm or Secret." He sighed, "It was the only thing he felt he could do."

Cassie shook her head, still angry, "No, Kon, it wasn't." She paced, her blond hair falling over her face, "We could have done a thousand different things to figure that out, that Harm wasn't in you, but smuggling you into the DEO and then trying to get you back out." She shook her head empathetically, "No, I don't think so, something is going on Kon, and he's not telling us what."

***

Robin cursed under his breath as he wiped the blood from his nose. The stream of red was slowing now, and his glove was stained from where he had stopped the flow. He sat in his car, tilted his head back and breathed in through his mouth.

Oh god.

He shut his eyes beneath the mask, letting the cool air calm his shaky nerves. He let out a breath he had been holding and through an arm over his forehead.

Oh god.

He winced, as his nose throbbed with the pain from Cassie's punch.

_Thank god it hadn't been full power._ He thought as he started the car, another shaky sigh escaping from his lips.

_I might have broken more then a nose._ He almost laughed, _If my head would still be attached to my body. _

_ _

The redbird's engine rumbled to life, and slowly he pulled out onto the highway from the secluded parkway he had erected next to the cave. His eyes blurred along the yellow lines as they raced by his car. 

Robin had no idea where he was going. He didn't want to head back to school, and he didn't want to face Bruce. He pulled to the side of the road after only a mile of driving. He let his head rest on his arms over the steering wheel. He stared at the sky, watching the sunset against the mountains and the trees that dotted Happy Harbor.

He watched as Superboy rose above the clouds from the cave, flying back to Hawaii, and Cassie take off in the other direction.

_Oh god_, he thought, _why can't I tell them?_

***

"Come on Cassie, what's wrong?" Her friend Juliet asked, nudging her friend, she held up her binder, "Look what I found!"

Cassie, from where she had buried her face in arms stared up at her friend. Juliet had twisted around, from the desk in front of her to face Cassie, holding up something in her hand. It was a key chain, a little fuzzy kitten attached to a string.

Coming out of its ass.

"Look, when I pull this…"

She pulled at a little brown ball bearing. It slowly retracted back to its place, "Retractable poop!"

"Oh God….Juliet…" Cassie sighed, further burying her head in her hands. The teacher droned on in the background, "Where the hell do you find these things?"

"Would you believe me if I told you Toys R Us?"

"No."

"Well then don't." She complained, leaning in close to Cassie, "What the hells wrong with you Cassie, you didn't laugh at the retractable poop joke at all!"

"That's because it wasn't funny."

"Well excuse me if you're grumpy." She retorted back, "Come on Cassie, what's wrong?"

Cassie sighed, "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

Cassie was unresponsive.

"Hey, I understand retractable poop, I can understand whatever is going on with you."

Cassie wanted to laugh.

Would you be able to understand that the guy I had a crush on became possessed by a good friend's dead brother, and proceeded to nearly kill everyone I was close with? Would you believe the only way to stop him was to beat him up until he was unconscious, hope to god he didn't kill another friend in the process, strap him to a table, send over a hundred volts of electricity through his body until his hair almost went up in flames, hold down his bucking body until whatever was invading his mind either died or was dispersed into so many pieces that he wouldn't be recognizable as human any more, then hope to god we didn't fry both another good friend and him in the process? Would you believe that the guy who saved us all, who I even kissed, then decided that turning us over to our most hated enemies was a 'good' idea at the time and I just punched yesterday? 

_ _

_Would you fucking believe that?_

"No you can't, Juliet," the bell rang, "You just can't."

The class began to empty and Cassie grabbed her book and bag, "I gotta go." She pushed past an irate Juliet who stood there, in the empty class, and wondered what the hell was wrong with her friend. 

***

Kon tossed the ball against the cave wall. The ball bounced back, and fell into Kon's hand. He tossed it again. And again. And again.

The walls rang with the sound, and the cave was as empty as ever. Kon sighed as the ball left his hand again, heading on a crash course to the wall.

It landed back in his hand again.

It rang hollow, the echo of the empty cave slightly irritating Kon.

But not too much.

And he threw it again.

"I see I'm not the only one who thought school was a waste of time." 

Kon spun to face the voice that drifted from the cave entrance. It was Cassie.

"When there's so much to think about, sometimes school isn't the best place." He smiled and made room for Cassie on the couch.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." Cassie sighed as she plopped down next to Kon, catching the ball that was on a rebound towards Kon's hand. She stared at the blue rubber ball, rotating it in her hand, "Why did I get so angry yesterday?" She sighed, tossing the ball in the air, and catching it again.

Kon was silent waiting for Cassie to continue.

She stared at the blank cave wall, the crack from where she had flown against it a few months ago, gone, plastered over courtesy of the JLA, "He made a mistake, god knows how many times I've done something stupid, but why," She tossed the ball up again, "Why did I get so angry?"

Kon smiled, faintly, "It's stress, Cassie, nothing more."

"Yeah, stress may be the reason, but what if Rob doesn't come back?"

***

Rob, at that point in time, was thinking about everything, but coming back. He laid his gym bag on the bed, the contents of his dorm closet packed tightly inside, a few trinkets he picked up from Batman and he was quickly adding more.

He had to get out of there.

He shouldered the bag and slipped out of the quiet room, his roommate snoring and mumbling about Cindy Crawford in his sleep.

Soon, he was on the road again, his forehead dotted with sweat, his hands clammy with moisture as he squinted to read the signs.

He had to get out of here.

The street lights flickered as the redbird flashed passed them, exceedingly over the speed limit. He let the engine rev, pushing it to the limit, going faster, and faster. The highway curved dangerously and the car pushed foreword, Tim's foot pushing the pedal to the floor.

The lights of an oncoming truck flashed behi8nd the corner.

Tim snapped out of it.

He's glazed over eyes cleared and he screamed as he pressed the brake so hard tat the car lurched and spun, in an effort to stop.

His nose picked up the smell of burnt rubber, and his ears heard the resounding horn of the truck as it rocketed by him. He breathed heavily and closed his eyes, leaning against the seat.

Oh god.

Why can't I stop this?

***

Cassie sighed. Kon was still bouncing the ball against the wall, and the slow, thunk-thunk was slowly getting on her nerves.

"Kon." She whispered through gritted teeth, "Will you-please- stop?" She grabbed the ball before it could land back in Kon's hand, crushing the rubber, momentarily, with unbound strength.

"Sorry Cass." He let his head rest against the tattered couch, "It's just- well, you know." He pointed to his face, "I feel so useless."

Cassie's face softened, angry at her self for not noticing, "God, Kon, I'm sorry." She let her hand rest on his cheek, "I almost forgot."

"I wish I could." He whispered, his voice was raspy as he fingered the crushed rubber ball, "Cass, I don't know what to do." 

Cassie pulled him closer, letting his head rest on her shoulder, her arm wrapped around his own. A small damp spot grew on her shirt as she realized Kon must be crying. 

He almost laughed, "Cassie, how the hell can I be a superhero, if I'm blind?"

***

Finally Tim realized he had to rest. He had to sleep, or more occurrences as the one on the highway would happen, and he couldn't allow that.

He pulled into the deserted parking lot of a Motel Six. He grabbed his overnight bag and made his way to the motel lobby. The woman filed her nails at a leisurely pace, the sound of the rough cardboard against nail, setting Tim on edge.

He slid a twenty under the metal bars in front of her, the girl stopping for only a moment, to grab the money and push him a key. Through the snapping of gum she spoke, "Take the stairs, and on yer right." She resumed her chewing of gum, and the slow wheedling of her acrylic nails.

Tim slipped outside. The air was muggy and Tim felt nauseas, his stomach cramping and his legs sore from pushing pedals all night. He collapsed on the tattered bed, burying his face in the stale pillow. His eyes were clenched shut and he curled in ball, grasping his legs and withstanding the pain that coursed through his head.

***

Kon had fallen sleep on Cassie's shoulder, and Cassie slowly pulled away, lifting him up easily. She moved into the temporary bedroom that they had set up, and tucked him in the bed. She pulled a blanket over his still form, and pulled the gloves from his hand, tucking them under the blanket with him. She pulled off his shoes and eased him out of the jacket. He murmured something in his sleep, as she shifted his head over a pillow.

Cassie backed away, heading to the locker room, intent on changing.

She pulled her shirt over her head and slipped on a big Superman pajama shirt she kept, just in case. Clad only in jeans and a t-shirt, her bare-feet pressing against the cool stone, she made her way to the main room. She wrapped her arms around herself, and pulled a chair in front of small communicator screen.

She keyed the link to Oracle.

Oracle's icon flashed on the screen, eerily bobbing as it spoke, "Hello Cassie, what can I do for you?"

"Oracle," She spoke, "I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Where is Rob?"

The line was silent, the green icon floating gently on the screen, "You know I can't answer that."

"Please? He needs to know that I made a mistake, that I shouldn't have shouted at him."

"I'm sorry, I really can't divulge that information."

"Please, he needs to know, I need to speak with him."

The line was silent, and Cassie sighed, "Fine. Can you at least tell him?"

"I'll try. Oracle out."

And the line went dead.

Cassie padded to were Kon was sleeping. She considered briefly sleeping on the floor, or on the couch, and decided not to. She was tired, and she was not going to deny herself the comforts of a bed. Too tired to fly home, she collapsed beside Kon, pulling the blanket over herself, and fell asleep.

Let it be better in the morning.

_ _

***

The sun shown through the ragged, puke-green curtains, and hit Tim's gummy eyes like a spot light. He blinked quickly, trying to focus, trying to wake up.

He had been dreaming.

He felt sick, and pushed himself up from the bed with a groan. He felt lightheaded and grasped the bedpost for support as he slowly leaned against the wall. He had fallen asleep fully clothed. His feet felt sore from sleeping in his shoes, and pulled off his sneakers, and tossed them against the far wall. He pulled his sweater, up and over his head, sending that in the same direction, and made his way to the grimy restroom. 

He stared at himself in the mirror, and wondered how he had time to develop such huge bags under his eyes. His skin was pale, and he his nose and part of his cheek was swelling from where Cassie had hit him. He rested his head against the cool pane of the mirror, and wondered what he was going to do next.

Take a shower.

He pulled off his jeans, followed shortly by his boxers, and hit the shower.

The water was cold, and sputtered a few moments, a rusty red staining the water as whatever rust that had built up in the pipes came rushing out.

It made him dizzy. 

The red swirled down the drain, and his eyes followed it, his mind flashing with memories that were not his.

Red.

Gun shot.

Red.

Contortion of face as falling against tile.

Shock.

Red.

He blinked quickly, trying to bring himself back to present.

The water was clear now, and Tim slipped under the shower head, desperately closing his eyes against memories he couldn't block.

***

When Kon woke up, he felt the long, soft leg of a girl, pressed against his inner thigh. For a moment, he wondered if he was naked. But no such luck. Whoever had fallen asleep against him, had obviously hadn't DONE him.

Too bad.

The body that was laced with his own shifted, pressing closer into his. 

Female.

He awkwardly tried to untangle his body from the girl's, whoever she was, but was successful in only getting himself more tangled. 

He caught a whiff of strawberry and the smell of her soap. Only one person he knew used strawberry shampoo (he found this out by accidentally using it last time he took a shower in the cave). He had, he concluded, been sleeping with Cassie.

He wanted to laugh. _It only took being possessed by a murderous ghost and practically killing all my teammates, if I knew it was thateasy…_. 

Cassie shifted, murmuring something in her sleep, as she dug her face deeper into Kon's chest. She was so warm. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and was content, for a moment, just to lie there. He could feel her heart beat against his chest. 

Then she recoiled.

"Ohmygod!" She screamed, suddenly waking up. She pushed away from Kon, jumping out of the bed.

"That…." Kon grinned, staring sightlessly from where Cassie's voice was coming from, "Was awkward."

Cassie turned bright red, thankful, for a moment, that Kon couldn't see her, "I…um…eek.." She ran out of the room, leaving Kon, for a moment, alone.

He sighed, and pushed the covers away, letting his bare feet touch the cold cement floor. 

He missed her already.

***


	2. Twist

***  
before  
***  
"Ohmygod!" She screamed, suddenly waking up. She pushed away from Kon, jumping out of the bed.  
  
"That…." Kon grinned, staring sightlessly from where Cassie's voice was coming from, "Was awkward."  
  
Cassie turned bright red, thankful, for a moment, that Kon couldn't see her, "I…um…eek.." She ran out of the room, leaving Kon, for a moment, alone.  
  
He sighed, and pushed the covers away, letting his bare feet touch the cold cement floor.   
He missed her already.  
  
***  
now  
***  
  
A particularly ratty looking waitress came by, taking his order. She smiled at him, smacking her gum, as she poured him another cup of disgusting coffee, and took his order.   
  
She left him, staring out the window, wondering what he was going to do next. He watched as a family of four pulled out of the parking lot, and had the sudden urge to kill them. His fist balled up, he grasped the knife tightly.  
  
Then he snapped out of it.  
  
He stared at the knife in his hand in horror, wondering if he picked it up in the first place.  
  
The girl came back with the cold cereal he ordered, and more of the nauseating coffee, spilling some on the table. She leaned in close, her cigarette breath making him reel. Yet he was aroused. He wanted to grab her by the lapels and….  
  
He snapped out of it.  
  
He drew in a sharp breath and shifted, as she left, raising a shaky hand for the spoon.  
  
***  
  
Cassie fumbled in the locker room for her stuff, automatically pulling on her Wonder girl costume, and wondering how she was going to explain this to her mom. She certainly wasn't going to tell the truth.  
  
_Hey mom, you know Kon? The guy I had a crush on for…like…forever…yeah, I slept with him. What? That's a bad thing? Yeah, well, I just thought you'd like to know where I was, since I mysteriously disappeared from school. _  
  
She shook off the Superman t-shirt, and reached for the Wonder girl t-shirt.   
She breathed in sharply when she noticed in the mirror Kon. He was behind her, sitting on one of the benches.  
  
She briefly considered why she was embarrassed. So what if she was in her bra, Kon couldn't see a damn thing anyway.   
  
"Kon?" She whispered, sitting beside him, and slipping on her shirt.  
  
"Man, doesn't this suck, the only time I have a chance to see you change, and I'm blind." He laughed.  
  
"How did you get here?"  
  
"What, Cassie, just because I'm blind, doesn't mean I'm paralyzed."  
  
"Then how did you get to the only room occupied by the one semi-naked chick?"  
  
"Would you believe Karma, Cass?"  
  
Cassie laughed, "Come on Kon, shows over."  
  
Kon stood up shakily, his arms flailing for a steady object. Cassie reached out, pulling him close to her.  
  
He fell against her heavily, allowing her to guide him through the room, and back out to the cave. She was distinctly aware of his warm breath trickling down her collar as she sat him down on the ratty couch.  
  
"Cassie?"  
  
"Yes Kon?"  
  
"I have one question."  
  
"What is it Kon?"  
  
"How did you end up on top of me this morning?"  
  
Certainly to the point.  
  
"Would you believe Karma?"  
  
***  
  
Tim was back on the road again. He had traded in the Red Bird at a small used car dealer, raking in enough money for a smaller, less conspicuous car. He had made sure to strip the Red Bird of all remaining value, getting rid of anything that might connect him, or the car, to Batman. Still, even in its depleted state, the car lit up the eyes of the creepy salesman, who eagerly shoved cash into his hands, far less from what it was worth.  
  
Tim almost felt bad.  
  
Almost.  
  
And now he was back on the road, without the slightest idea of where he was going. He knew that if was to go anywhere, it would either be the smallest town, where they couldn't afford superheroes, or the biggest city, where the tiny people go unknown. He opted for a bigger city, like New York or Los Angles, where he could get lost easily.  
  
New York was closer, so, following the twisted logic was warping his head right now, he figured that the closest place is the most obvious place, which is exactly the place where Bruce wouldn't look for him.  
  
He breathed in shakily. It had been close in that truck stop. The urges where becoming stronger, and he didn't know how long he would be able to be in control.  
  
The urge to grab that waitress and…and…..he couldn't comprehend what he would have done, it was painful to even think it.   
  
But he had. He had entertained the notion for those few, essential seconds. It was scary. There had been nothing he could have done if he hadn't snapped out of it when he had.   
  
He was startled when the sound of sirens filled his ears.  
  
He glanced at the rear-view mirror spotting the red and blue lights of the highway patrol. He glimpsed at the speedometer, noticing, for the first time that he was twenty miles over the speed limit.  
  
He slowed down and pulled to the side.   
  
The policeman came sauntering up to the window, a clipboard in his hand, a smirk on his face. It took all of Tim's willpower to roll down the window and smile nervously, "What is it officer?"  
  
He grinned, resting his arm on the roof of the car, and leaning in, "Did you know you were going twenty miles over the speed limit?"  
  
_No shit, Sherlock._ "No officer, I'm sorry."  
  
And without warning, Tim's hand shot out and grabbed the officer by the neck.  
  
His hands squeezed around the flesh, the officer's eyes bulging with pain. He made a tiny gurgling sound, and Tim kicked open the door, letting go of the officer, while simultaneously grabbing the gun.  
  
He pressed the gun to the man's head, a drop of blood oozing from around the muzzle, as he pressed harder, "Get up."   
  
The officer shakily stood up, his hands lifted in the air.  
  
Not a car in sight.  
  
He motioned with the gun to the embankment, "Move."  
  
The man slowly moved, each step sending puffs of red dust to swirl in the breeze.  
  
He motioned with the gun, "On your knees."  
  
It seemed like forever until the officer complied.  
  
That's when Tim's foot shot out, catching the man in the ribs. He groaned with pain and collapsed on the dirt ground, clutching his side, wheezing. Tim let out another kick, this time harder, sending a stream of blood to splash on the red dust.  
  
The officer was crying, moaning something that Tim couldn't make out.  
  
He kicked again, and again, and again. Each time with more ferocity then the one before. The officer before him was left in a bloody heap.  
  
His foot was raised for another kick when he stopped.  
  
He snapped out of it.  
  
It was suddenly quiet. His breath came out in short gasps, from the exertion, and his face was splashed with blood. He wiped it with his hand, succeeding in only smearing it more.   
  
_Oh God…_  
  
He slowly backed away, and sprinted to the car.

***

Oracle was frantically typing on the computer, when Dick sneaked in through the window. For probably the first time since he had known her, she didn't have a smirk on her face, or a witty remark on the time it took him to bypass all her security measures.   
  
It took him exactly five minutes.  
  
Oracle didn't say a word.  
  
Even as he approached her chair, she didn't turn around to greet him, rather threw a, "Hold on!" over her shoulder.  
  
Her eyes were squinted as she concentrated on the screen before her. A strand of red hair fell across her features, and as Dick tried to push it out of the way, she snapped at his fingers with an annoyed movement of the hand.  
  
So he resigned to perch on the desk behind her and wait for her to tell him what was going on.  
  
Babs leaned back, letting out the breath she had been holding, "Oh boy…" She muttered, giving a few taps to the keyboard. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, then leaned back to squint at the monitor, her lips working on the tip of her pencil.   
  
"Oh boy…" She muttered again, this time tapping the keyboard more forcefully. She spun in her chair, and moved to another computer beside her, typing a few things, then switching back to the other computer.  
  
This went on for another minute.  
  
She finally stopped.  
  
She was rubbing her temples and muttering something when Dick finally spoke up.  
  
"Babs, what is it?"  
  
She was silent for a moment, when she finally looked up, "Timbo is in trouble." She sighed, rubbing her forehead, while picking up a sheaf of papers from the printer, "Really big trouble."  
  
She handed Dick the papers, "That's a police APB for the greater NY area," She handed him a grainy black and white photograph, "And that's taken from a mounted video camera in a highway patrol car."   
  
It clearly showed Tim holding a gun to the officer's head.  
  
"Oh my god…"  
  
"This is really bad Dick." She paused for a moment, "The officer was found an hour ago…"  
  
_Uh Oh._  
  
"Dead?"  
  
Babs shook her head, "No, at least we have comfort in that…" She handed him another paper, "But it's still bad."   
  
Dick read the report, "Oh my god, Babs, this can't be him." His eyes widened as he read on, "This is- this is savage."  
  
"I don't know what's going on, I had Canary get me samples from the NY lab, and they match Tim." She pushed away from the desk and wheeled over to where Dick was perched, "Luckily, I guess, I was able to get Tim's samples offline before they could match up, but…"  
  
"You don't think that was a good idea?"  
  
"What if that was our only link, if the police were on the look out for him, they are spread through the country…" She sighed again, "Dick, something is going on, and I think it has to do with Young Justice."  
  
***  
  
"Kon, for the hundredth time, stop pacing!!!"  
  
"Cassie, I'm bored. I'm blind. I can't read, I can't walk somewhere else, I can't goggle at hot girls on the beach, and most importantly of all, I can't watch Wendy the Were-wolf Slayer! What do you think I'm going to?"  
  
"I don't know…"  
  
"Cassie this really sucks."  
  
Cassie was silent, collapsing beside him on the couch, "You could always imagine Cissie naked…"  
  
He turned to her, smiling, "You know Cassie, you're the only one I think of naked." He grinned and avoided her slap.  
  
Cassie froze.  
  
"Kon, did you notice what you just did?"  
  
Kon looked towards her voice, puzzled, "What do you mean?"  
  
"You avoided my slap, I was going to hit you, and you moved out of the way."  
  
"I did?" He looked confused, "How did I do that?"  
  
Cassie paused, "I think I know why…." She also began to pace, "Your TTK field basically surrounds you all the time, right?"  
  
"Right…"  
  
"I think, through that field, you can sense objects, whether they are closer or farther by how much they impede on your field, like your one big walking guide stick…"  
  
"Guide stick…heh…I'm a guide stick…"  
  
"Kon!"  
  
"What? You said it!"  
  
"That is so juvenile…"   
  
***  
  
Tim squinted as he navigated the dark road. He had finally gained control of himself, and was in more of a rush to get to the city.  
  
He couldn't concentrate. The road was shifting in front of him, twisting and turning where it was supposed to be straight. He tried hard to control his breathing, and the short gasps that where escaping his lips did little to ease him.  
  
_Whatdididowhatdididowhatdidido…_  
  
He kept repeating to himself, a harsh mantra meant to keep him alert. He had to ditch the car.   
  
The onboard camera from the police cruiser would have certainly picked up his license plate number, and small black, beat-up camero wouldn't be hard to spot.   
  
He scanned the outskirts of the highway, hoping to find a different car dealership. He spotted a tiny one on the left. He pulled off the highway, careful to avoid any police of highway patrol, and slipped quietly into the parking lot of the small business.  
  
He quickly wiped his face again, hoping to get rid of most of the blood. He stuck his hands in his pockets, and made sure that he had a sweater to cover his red-stained t-shirt.  
  
As quickly as he had pulled in, he was out, more cash in his pocket, and no car. He didn't have enough for a trade in, but he would manage to get a bus-ticket out of wherever he was.  
  
A short distance away from the dealership sat a run-down bus station. A weary old man sat behind a steel, reinforced counter, dolling out tickets to the few people that waited there. Tim hefted his black bag on his shoulder, and paid quickly for the ticket to New York City.  
  
The bus was coming in an hour.  
  
***  
  
Dick rubbed his eyes wearily. The words on the report were blurring, and for the tenth time reading it, it yielded little information. He wasn't concerned with the report itself, just concerned on how he was going to break it to Bruce.  
  
Oracle spoke up, "If you are thinking about how you are going to tell Bruce, stop, he already knows."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Alfred told him."  
  
"Oh." Dick was silent, "That spared me a lot of trouble." He flopped on the couch, "So, Babs, what is he going to do about it?"  
  
"About Tim leaving?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Nothing."  
  
This startled Dick, "Why not, Tim has gone crazy, he practically killed a man."  
  
"Bruce doesn't know that."  
  
"But-"  
  
Barbara raised her hand, "I didn't tell him about that part, I just told him that Tim left, and I was keeping an eye out for him."  
  
"And that satisfied him??"  
  
"In the short run, I hope Tim isn't going to be gone enough for the long run."  
  
"Barbara, do you know something?"  
  
She was silent, her hair covering her features as her fingers were poised over the keyboard, "I always know something Dick."  
  
***  
  
Kon grabbed the remote, for no other purpose but to listen to the television. Being blind, watching anything was out of the picture, but it didn't rule out listening to the blaring television set. He let his lids close over his useless eyes, and listened to CNN.   
  
"CNN Kon?" Cassie asked, from behind him. He smelled the coffee in her hand.  
  
"Coffee Cassie?"  
  
"Shuddup." She growled, taking a quick sip, wincing as it burnt her tongue, "What's with the CNN? I thought you only watched MTV?"  
"Cassie, I'm not the lowbrow, neanderthal teen you take me for. I only watched MTV for the half naked chicks, and now that I can't *see* those gyrating naked chicks anymore, I'm left to at least listen to something is somewhat educational."  
  
"That's what PBS is for Kon."  
  
"You want to know the truth?"  
  
"No, of course not Kon. I want to remain ignorant." She plopped down on the couch, spilling some coffee on the coffee table and on her hand. She hissed and grabbed her hand in pain, "Ow..."  
  
Kon grinned, and grabbed her hand, "Smart move Cassie." He lightly wiped away the coffee from her hand with the end of his shirt.  
  
"You're ruining your shirt, Kon." Cassie pulled in a breath as he rubbed her hand, blowing on it gently with his lips. Why does he have to be so damn hot…  
  
"I know," He grinned up at her, his sightless eyes looking just past her face, "But who cares, If I can't see it…"  
  
And than he kissed her. It was so quick, and so swift, Cassie was left to wonder how he knew where her mouth was.  
  
The kiss grew deeper. It moved from the first time, tentative kiss to that tense, sexual energy crackling in the air type, the one that singes eyebrows and makes the skin feel clammy and warm…  
  
"A police man was found on Highway 101 early this morning, severely beaten. Officer John Larue is currently in a coma, after what seemed to be a customary pull over. From what was released by the New Jersey Police Department, it seems as if an unidentified teenager beat the officer…" A small clip from the police tape played on the television, the woman's voice accompanying it.   
  
Cassie's eyes grew wide. She stopped moving, where Kon, oblivious to the moment, felt her unresponsiveness.  
  
"Cass, Oh god, I'm sorry…" He pushed himself away, stumbling against the low coffee table, "God…that was wrong of me…"   
  
"Shut up Kon, it's not about you…" Cassie's eyes grew wider as the woman droned on.  
  
"The NJPD is asking that if anyone knows who this person may be, they ask to please contact…"  
  
"Cassie what is it?"  
  
"No…No, it can't be…" She whispered.  
  
"What is it?" Kon was more insistent, frustrated, now more than ever, with his inability to see what Cassie was reacting to.  
  
"It's Rob."  
  
***  
  
The boy in the back of the bus was thrashing. His forehead was swathed with sweat, and his fists were clenched. His black t-shirt clung to his chest, and his leather jacket bunched dup around his arms. His head moved back and forth, and a harsh breath erupted from his flared nostrils.  
  
The girl that saw all this was worried. The bus was almost empty just two people, herself and this guy. The driver, a burly New Yorker ignored the two, preferring to listen to the radio than car what his passengers were up to.   
  
The girl, a sixteen-year-old runaway, against all common sense, reached out and nudged him on the shoulder.   
  
The movement stopped.  
  
The boy's eyes hadn't opened, but the thrashing and the shivering had stopped. His breathing came out in harsh gasps, and he was gulping for air, and then that stopped. His eyes were still closed and he was silent, not moving. A shaky hand came up and wiped sweat from his forehead.  
  
Then his eyes snapped open.  
  
They were milky black, contacts? She looked again, realizing that it must have been the light, they were light blue.  
  
He stared at her, fear etched in his face. He pulled away from her arm, and struggled to compose himself, yanking at his coat, straightening his shirt. The girl didn't know what to say.   
  
She stumbled with her words, "Sorry, um….you were dreaming, and…" he didn't respond, just nodded his head, and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"I'm Kerry, I'm going to New York to…"   
  
He wasn't listening to her anymore, his eyes were shut again, his hands clenched into tight fists, pounding against the armrests. He was mumbling something…..  
  
His eyes snapped open.  
  
They were black.  
  
A wide grin spread across his face and his hand shot out, grabbing her neck, pushing her up against the bus wall. She struggled, her hands beating against his chest, clawing at his hand wrapped around her throat.   
  
He squeezed harder, the veins on the girl's neck and face bulging and a trail of red dribbled from between her cracked lips from where she bit her tongue. He slammed her against the seat, where her head knocked against the plastic backing, her dirty blonde hair staining with blood.  
  
The bus driver shouted something and pulled to the side of the deserted road. The driver pulled out a shot-gun from behind the seat, and ran towards the back of the bus. He tried taking aim, following the boy's movements as he choked the girl. He couldn't get a clear shot. His finger itched near the trigger, and as he lined the sights up with the boy, the gun was knocked from his hands with harsh kick that sent him flying towards the front of the bus. The boy tossed the girl against a seat, and made his way to the front of the bus, where the bus driver struggled to get up. He let out another kick, pushing the driver down the tiny stairs, against the door. The man hit his head against the handrail and slid to the floor, knocked out.  
  
The boy turned back to the girl, who was rubbing her throat painfully, looking at him in horror. She stumbled back, clawing at the floor as she moved. He stepped closer, grabbing her wrist and yanking her up until she faced him. Her breathing came out ragged, and it fell hot against his face.  
  
He blinked, his eyes turning from a black…to a blue…for a brief second he looked in her frightened eyes. His mouth fell open, and the hand that held the wrist tightly, loosened.  
  
There was silence. No screaming, no grunts of pain, just ragged breathing as they stared into each other's eyes.  
  
He grinned again, kicked her and pushed her against the wall.   
  
***  
  
"What are you talking about?" Kon's sightless eyes stared at the TV, than back at Cassie, "What is it?"  
  
Cassie pointed at the television, knowing full well that Kon couldn't see her, but she did it all the same, "The guy they were talking about on the news, that was Rob."  
  
"Did they show his face?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Did they say his name?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then what makes you think it was Rob?" Kon, reached out and clasped her trembling hand, "This is Rob were talking about. Putting a policeman in a coma?" He laughed, rubbing her hand, trying to calm her down.  
  
"He was wearing the yJ communicator."  
  
Kon's hand went limp.  
  
"Oh, shit…"  
  
***  
He pushed the girl to the floor, pressing his body against her own, the girl struggled beneath him unsuccessfully. His lips pressed against her own, and as one hand held her wrists to the floor, the other fumbled with the buttons on her blouse.  
  
His communicator beeped.  
  
He stared at it, his eyes wide, The red light on the communicator flashed, and Cassie's face came on the little screen.  
  
"Rob?"  
  
He blinked, pushing himself away from the girl. He stood, dizzy for a moment, his eyes searching for something.   
  
There.  
  
His bag, pushed under a chair during the fight. He grabbed it with one hand, the other with the communicator still flashing, he bashed against a metal railing, crushing the screen, causing Cassie's image to disappear.   
  
He shut his eyes, trying not to take in what he had done.  
  
The girl on the floor was still trying to catch her breath.  
  
He wanted to reach out and help her up, and brush her off, and tell her everything was going to be okay.  
  
He fucking did this to her.  
  
He pushed through the bus doors, and ran out into the night.

***

"Do you think I wouldn't find out?"   
  
Oracle's head snapped up, her red hair scattering. Her eyes widened. Then she sighed and pushed her chair to the window, unlocking it, and letting Batman through.  
  
"No, but I was hoping to delay it for a while."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" his voice was louder, and he took a step closer.  
  
"I couldn't, after Jason…"  
  
"That doesn't matter." His voice was softer now, "I needed to hear this from you." He sighed, pulling his cowl off, "Do you know how it was to see Tim's face on the news, in the middle of a meeting with Luscious?"  
  
"I'm sorry…"  
  
"What is really going on Barbara?"  
  
***  
  
The brief instant that she saw Rob's face, she couldn't believe it was him. His eyes were dark, bags were beginning to show, and his skin was so pale. He looked sick. Really, really sick. He didn't look like the calm confident Rob that they knew. He was scary, dangerous, his black hair scattered very which way, and his clothes, rumpled, as if he hadn't changed them from last night.  
  
And the girl. The girl, some brown haired, doe eyed, skinny thing was staring back at her in shock, mouthing a word. Help.  
  
Rob's hand was wrapped around her wrists, his fingers twisted in her blouse, stained with blood.  
  
Oh god, Cassie felt like she was going to be sick. And just as quickly as his face appeared on the screen, the view changed, twisting and spiraling as his wrist flew in the air, and hit something. The screen turned to static.  
  
"Cassie, what did you see, did he say anything?"  
  
Kon stood beside her, his arm resting against the wall above the monitor  
  
Cassie turned away, her eyes shut tight, short breaths escaping from under her clamped lips, "Oh god Kon, we have to find him."  
  
"But how?"  
  
"We have to contact Oracle."  
  
***  
  
Barbara handed Bruce a sheaf of papers, "This is the full police report, and some background information on the officer. She sighed, pushing herself to the computer terminal, "But that's not so important, nothing there tells use why Tim is doing what he's doing. This is Tim, he has never acted this way before."  
  
She pressed print on her computer and the laser printer whirred to life, spewing out paper.  
  
"So I did some cross checking, looking for similar occurrences, and I've narrowed I down to a few possibilities-"  
  
She was interrupted when a face flashed on the computer.  
  
It was a very confused, but worried looking girl, "Hello?" She called out nervously, "Hello? Anyone there? We really need your help."   
  
Bruce stared at Barbara, "Who is that?"  
  
"Cassie Sandmark, Wondergirl"  
  
Barbara activated her Oracle icon and voice synthesizer, "Oracle here, what's wrong?"  
  
The girls face relaxed for a moment, "Thank god, I didn't know what I was doing." Her face returned to a grim set.  
  
"Just look."  
  
The a window popped up on Oracle's computer showing that Cassie was sending her a file.   
  
"What does she have to do with anything?" asked Bruce, pulling on his mask before stepping within the monitor's view.  
  
"She's his team-mate in Young Justice-" She was cut off when the screen came to life.  
  
When the short video ended, and Cassie's face came back on the screen, Oracle and Batman's mouths hung open momentarily in shock.  
  
"I'll get back to you." Barbara quickly said as she closed Cassie's window.  
  
Bruce stared at the frozen image on the screen, a grim line set in his face, "Dammit, Barbara, why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?" He spun around, his cape trailing behind him, "I am holding you responsible."  
  
He disappeared through an open window, the sudden burst of air, making Babs feel cold.  
  
"Damn."  
  
***  
  
Keep running, keep running, keep running….  
  
His feet pounded hard against the black cement as he raced through the dark. His pants were torn from where they had caught on the underbrush, and his face bloody, from where trees and thorns had come in contact.  
  
He still ran.  
  
His feet pumped harder as lights came around the bend. Police cars flew past him, heading towards the direction he had been running from. Jesus, he thought, Jesus…  
  
He looked back, staring in horror as more cars came past him.  
  
Jesus…  
  
He momentarily tripped, not watching where he was going, since his eyes were glued with perverse fascination as an ambulance sped past.  
  
Had he killed someone?  
  
Keep Running…  
  
And he did.  
  
Soon he came to a small gas station, a blonde administered to the counter, snapping her gum as she flipped through a magazine.  
  
He slipped in, quiet except for the bell that rang as he opened the door. He looked around, almost fearfully, trying to find the video cameras. One was trained on the entrance, its red light blinking lazily in the small room.  
  
He kept his head down, covering his face with his hand, he searched for a telephone.  
  
Have to call-   
  
His hand reached for the phone, fingers wrapping around the plastic handset. He brought it to his ear, his fingers pressing against the numbers.  
  
-Keep running  
  
He dropped the phone with such suddenness that the girl looked up from her magazine, her mouth open in mid chew.  
  
He turned, and ran outside.  
  
It had begun to rain.  
  
***  
Cassie pushed past Kon, reaching for the phone that hung on the wall, beginning to dial, "I think we should call Bart-"   
  
Kon's hand had found the receiver, hanging it up.  
  
"No. Don't call him."  
  
Cassie turned to him angrily, "What are you doing? He can help."  
  
"No. We can't call him, or Cissie, or anyone else."  
  
Cassie stared at him, "Why, this is Robin, why wouldn't Bart help?"  
  
"Bart isn't that mature Cassie, lets face it. He wants nothing to do with Young Justice anymore, and he wouldn't come even if you asked him."  
  
"But Rob's his-"  
  
"No he isn't."   
  
"Kon…"  
  
"He's not Bart's friend, Cissie's friend, my friend or yours." He touched Cassie's shoulder, "He was never a friend of any of us. He never got that close."  
  
"Dammit, Kon, you know that's not true." She pulled away from his grasp, grabbing her jacket that hung on the rack behind her, "Fine then, I'm going to help him."  
  
Kon grabbed her arm, "Cass, let the big bad bat handle this, they don't need our help."  
  
Cassie stared at him in shock.  
  
"Kon, you are so fucking self defeating it makes me sick."  
  
Kon's face froze, his hand went limp.   
  
Cassie ripped her arm from his grasp once more, "Go sit on the couch and bitch about being useless, but I'm going to do something."  
  
She flew from the cave.  
  
Kon stared sightlessly at the wall, breathing in, he sighed, "Fuck."   
  
***  
  
Barbara's fingers flew across the keyboard. Like before, her eyes focused on the screen from behind her glasses, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do.  
  
Can't get the cops into this…  
  
She pushed away from her computer, her mouth letting go a stream of curses as she wheeled towards the kitchen. She wasn't paying attention as she banged her wheel chair against something muscular.  
  
She looked up.  
  
Ted Kord smiled back down at her, a dozen roses in his left hand, two tickets in his right.  
  
"Hello Beautiful."  
  
She didn't smile as she maneuvered past him, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Wooing you?"  
  
Barbara grabbed a can of glazed peaches, struggling with the can opener. She cut herself with the jagged edge, "Dammit!" she cursed as she brought her hand to her mouth, "Jesus-" She spun around in her wheelchair, narrowly avoiding Ted who stood behind her.  
  
"I don't have time for this Kord."  
  
Ted just grinned, maneuvering past her reaching for a vase that lay precariously close to the shelf's edge. He filled it with water, grinning again, as Barbara bashed her elbow against the fridge, letting out another string of curses.  
  
"Barbara…" he intoned, as he placed the roses in the vase and sat it down on the dinner table. He grabbed some milk from the fridge, and poured it into a cup, "I think…" He reached for some cocoa, stirring in the brown powder with the cold milk. While holding the cup of cold cocoa he reached for a packet of cookies from the pantry, laying them on the plate with one quick swipe, "You have to…"  
  
He pushed Barbara's chair with his foot towards the living room, while hopping on one foot, supporting a cup of milk and a plate of cookies in one hand, and balancing himself with the other, he miraculously got there without an accident. He pushed the plate of cookies in her hand and set the cocoa milk on the coffee table. He knelt beside her, "….take a break."  
  
She just scowled at him, pushing the plate of cookies towards him, "I don't have time to take breaks."  
  
"Barbara…"  
  
"You don't understand and I don't have time to explain it to you-" She gulped down the milk, "- so if you don't mind…"  
  
"Barbara…"  
  
She spun around in her chair, heading to the computer room. "I don't have time!"  
  
"You sound like that rabbit in Alice in Wonderland." He followed her to the computer room, "You have to take a break, Barb, Oracle has to sleep, doesn't she?"  
  
"Not now."  
  
"What's so important? Maybe I can help."  
  
"I can't let you help."  
  
"Barbara." He spun her around and she glared at him, "I am a computer programmer, I know everything there is to know about computers and more. I have an extensive array of gadgets that can get anything anytime, anywhere. I can get you into the upper echelons of the FBI, CIA, ATF, and a number of secret organizations. Hell, I can read the president's naughty email. I. Can. Do. Anything." he leaned in closer, whispering in her ear, "I can get you anything."  
  
***

Ok, took me long enough, right? I apologize. I'm a stupid, stupid person.

Read an review? Please?

With a naked robin on top?

Oooh….

-dafnap  
  



	3. Time and Again

So far behind……..ugh

Ok, I'm trying to get back on track, after apps and finals…but writers bloc is still firm…

Ergh…it's like trying to cut rock with a plastic glad knife.

Standard disclaimers apply

***

_Keep running…_  
  
He tells himself. Does he? Who is in control? He feels as if he has lost control. It left a long time ago.  
  
_Keep running…_  
  
Feet tangle with weeds and his hands drip with blood. His own? It's too late to tell, a mixture of both the girls and his raw hands, scraped from grabbing onto branches and thorns.  
  
_Maybe I'll bleed to death.  
  
I hope…_  
  
His feet keep banging against the ground and against his own accord he is still running. As he runs he grabs his head…pressing bloodied palms against bloodied ears, trying to stop the laughing.  
  
**  
  
Cassie was flying blindly. She let her body soar higher and higher past the clouds. It was getting hard to breathe, but it was even harder to stop herself from moving up.  
  
Her head was throbbing.  
  
She had a massive headache and she could almost feel her blood pulsing through her veins.   
  
Keep flying, She told herself.  
  
And she did. The atmosphere was thinning around her, oxygen disappearing as she flew higher, higher, higher…  
  
The world curved beneath her, twisting slowly. Could she see continents? No. Not yet.  
  
A plane floated in the distance.  
  
She couldn't breathe.  
  
Her mouth flopped open like a gasping fish and tried to pull in air. It was as if her lungs were vacuums, sucking in everything, getting nothing.   
  
And then it hit her.  
  
She stopped in mid air, trembling as whether to go higher or slip back underneath the clouds.  
  
Her eyes rolled in the back of her head….her body began to plummet to the ground.  
  
**  
Kon stared sightlessly at the cave ceiling, trying to remember the features he could no longer see.  
  
Fighting the urge to twiddle his thumbs or whistle, he fumbled beside the couch for the remote.  
  
He was not help this way.  
  
It was frustrating, for him, to be stuck on the couch having to wait for someone else to do something, to act.  
  
Goddamnit.  
  
"If you have any information…" They were talking about Rob again. Kon flipped the station.  
  
"…Please contact-"   
  
Next station.  
  
"…Jersey Police-"  
  
Click.  
  
"…Are still looking-"  
  
Click.  
  
"…For this boy-"  
  
Click.  
Click.  
Click.  
  
"Goddamit!" Kon threw the remote control across the room, most likely smashed to pieces against the cave wall from the force of his throw.  
  
Beep.  
  
Kon froze. Did he break something? Kon stood there, trying to grasp the sound.  
Beep.  
  
It was coming from the back of the cave.  
  
Beep.  
  
Stumbling across the rec area, bumping into the couch and coffee table before his TTK field was able to compensate, Kon made his way towards the sound.  
  
Beep.  
  
With an unsteady hand, Kon blindly moved through the cave.  
  
Beep. Beep. Beep.  
  
It was coming from the main computer.  
  
His hand roamed desktop, looking for a button to push, something…  
  
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.  
  
The comm.-station. Where was it, where was it???  
  
His fingers traveled frantically over the computer in front of him. What do I push, where is it? It was still beeping, the sound driving him crazy.  
  
What could he do?  
  
**  
  
Babs stared mutely at the screen. It glowed back at her, pixels causing her eyes to dilate and constrict as she read.  
  
It was getting worse and worse by the minute.  
  
Reports were flooding in from another incident of violence on the Jersey freeway.   
  
A bus, traveling to New York was stopped for an indeterminate amount of time. Why? A teenager, a passenger on the bus, had assaulted the only other passenger, a young runaway girl, and managed to knock out the 210 pound ex-convict bus-driver with a single kick.  
  
It was Tim alright.  
  
Every greyhound bus had been outfitted with camera's ever since an entire busload of geriatric tourists were killed by a terrorist.  
And unfortunately for Tim, he had been caught on tape. He looked haggard, as if he hadn't slept in days. Had he? What was going on with Tim?  
  
Of all the people Babs had ever met, Tim would never have done what everything, everyone was telling her he had.  
  
He couldn't have.  
  
Tim was the kid who sat on her desk beside her computer and dripped cheese steak all over the keyboard. He was the kid that admired a techno-nerd like Blue beetle, the kid that surprised her with a bumper sticker for her wheelchair that said: "My hard drive is bigger then yours."  
  
Tim was not the one to…to...  
  
She blocked the thought out of her mind.  
  
It was not Tim.  
  
It couldn't have been.  
  
She had to believe that.  
  
**  
Things were becoming worse.  
  
He had found a highway heading the right direction. He had to get to New York, he didn't know why, but he was supposed to be there, to get there…soon.  
  
His vision was becoming blurry. Did he have something in his eye? He couldn't feel anything. It was cold. Was it? He didn't know, couldn't feel, it hurt so bad….  
  
His head was filled with grain, spilling over each other, his head hurt so bad… so bad…it hurt…  
  
The asphalt pressed against his feet, he felt himself stopping. The highway was empty.  
  
_Was it?_  
  
Lights came around the bend. They flashed in his eyes, momentarily blinding him. The light hurt his eyes, it hurt so bad…  
  
The car was rushing at him, getting close, and moving closer. Could he run in time? Did he have a chance to move?  
  
Did he want to?  
  
He *wanted* to get hit by the car, it was the only feeling he knew was his own.  
  
**  
  
Cassie felt herself falling, and she could do nothing to stop it. Her body wasn't responding. She couldn't move, just fall like a rag doll.  
  
It would hurt when she hit the ground.  
  
_Falling without a parachute._  
  
If she could laugh, she would have. _I can fly, and I'm going to die from falling…_  
  
Wind whipped her hair against her face, leaving red marks against her agitated skin. She tried to gain control of her body, tried to pull it together. Her hand clenched as she tried to bring it foreword.  
  
The ground rushed close and closer and closer…  
  
It was going to hurt.  
  
She wanted to close her eyes, to try and avoid watching the ground fly up to meet her. And she couldn't. What was wrong with her? Why didn't she have control? Something that was so easy before proved to be so hard now.  
  
Had she lost her powers?  
  
No. That couldn't be it. She would have felt the sudden shift, wouldn't she?  
  
_Right?_  
  
God. She was going to die.  
  
The ground was so close now. If she could've flown, would she have been able to avoid the ground that was rushing up to meet her?  
  
So close…  
  
She managed to get her eyes closed. She wouldn't have to deal with watching the ground smash into her body, wouldn't have to look…  
  
The wind rushed up at her, she could feel trees whip past her face, leaving bloody streaks.  
  
She was going to hit the ground, going to die, going to die, going to die….  
  
**  
  
Kon was frantic now, the beeping was getting more frequent, and he was knocking things over.  
  
_Where was the damn button???_  
  
Suddenly the beeping stopped. What had he touched? Did he set something off? What did he do?  
  
"Kon- El?" It was a man's voice. A deep gravely voice that instantly made Kon wish he had not found the source of the sound.  
  
"Uh…Batman?"  
  
No answer.  
  
Kon fidgeted with his shirt, suddenly realizing he was only in his boxers and a t-shirt.  
  
"Where is Robin?"  
  
This set Kon's mind reeling. _Why wouldn't Batman know? He knew everything…. damnit…. they were in deep shit…_  
  
**  
  
Ted came back, in one hand, a plat of cookies, the other, a tenuous hold on two cups of lemonade.  
  
"Babs, come on, you've been on that computer the whole night, take a break, you need it."  
  
"No."  
  
"Badly."  
  
Babs swiveled on a wheel, her eyes flashing in anger, "Ted. I cannot take a break." She pushed an errant strand of hair from her eyes, "I have a friend in trouble. I can't tell you who, why, or what I'm going to do to solve it, but I can't stop until I found the answer."  
  
"Babs…"  
  
"Leave Kord, I don't even have time to show you out."  
  
"I can help you."  
  
"I can't need your help. I can't tell you what is going on."  
  
Ted's eyes grew dark, "It's a bat-family thing, right?"  
  
She just looked up at him, her eyes dimmed.  
  
"Damnit, Barbara, I can help."  
  
"No."  
  
"Please let me help."  
  
"Show your self out."  
  
She turned from him, and as Ted left, she returned to the computer, weary eyes scanning and re scanning useless information.  
  
The door shut behind him.  
  
**  
  
It was so close, a Mazda, small compact car, going at least 80.   
  
Tim fought the urge to move, to protect himself. He didn't want to. What ever was controlling him, making him do these…things, he wanted it dead, and if it meant killing himself…  
  
The car was almost on top of him.  
  
Then it swerved.  
  
He wanted to scream, at the stupidity of it all, he couldn't even kill himself.  
  
Why did the car swerve? Why couldn't it have hit him, killed him?  
  
It bounced against the shoulder of the road, twisting, falling over itself, flipping on it's side, rolling across the asphalt, sending sparks that landed on Tim, burning his skin…  
  
And it felt good.  
  
The car collapsed against a tree, its front compressing impossible small.  
  
Tim, snapped momentarily from his reverie from the piercing sparks, felt himself moving towards the wreckage.  
  
He had to help.  
He pushed aside burning metal, relishing, for a moment, the feel of it against his hands. It made him feel alive, like he wasn't the zombie he had been for the past few days.  
  
Grasping the driver's side door, scrunched so tight that it had begun to compress in, he yanked it once, twice…  
  
It wouldn't budge. He twisted the handle, shook it some more. The flames were licking his face, and sweat fell like tears down his face. He reached through the broken glass; rivulets of blood dribbling down his arms.  
  
He felt his hand clasp around a shoulder. He gave a tug.  
  
_Seatbelt._  
  
He pulled from his pocket, a tiny pocketknife, cutting swiftly, the belt, and hauling the body out.  
  
It was woman, somewhere in the thirties range, 35, 36? He couldn't concentrate, just had to get her out of there. Her hair, red, was singed, and stained with blood.  
  
_Blood…_  
  
The car was becoming hotter, the flames dancing higher, nearing the gas tank…  
  
He tossed the body over his shoulder, running for the other side of the road.   
  
The tank burst in a cloud of flame, reaching higher into the sky, sending Tim tumbling, with the body down the embankment.  
  
Twigs and rocks and outcropping hit him as he held the body close, trying to prevent the person from getting more hurt then she already was.   
  
_Almost like normal…_  
  
**  
  
…going to die.  
  
She felt the tickle of grass against her nose.  
  
And then….  
  
Nothing.  
  
No impact. Her bones weren't scattered across the field, no cracked skull against hard ground, no bones shattering, she wasn't scattered in a thousand pieces.  
  
She opened her eyes, breath coming out in short gasps, the grass tickling her nose. Her eyes dilated, then contracted, focusing on the tiny insect that crawled across a blade of grass, no further than an inch from her nose.  
  
It twittered, then disappeared out of her sight.  
  
Her arms were splayed beside her, like wings, and her legs had tensed, bracing for impact.  
  
But there was none. _What was going on?_  
  
What had happened?  
  
Eyes rolled back, she collapsed, her body slamming against the ground.  
  
_Remember…I'm in control._  
  
**

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